Wealth Management Technology: Morgan Keegan & netDecide
Abstract
Morgan Keegan and Company, Inc. is a Memphis, Tennessee-based regional broker-dealer with 140 offices in 14 southeastern states. Morgan Keegan serves both institutional and individual investors throughout the country. In March 2001, Morgan Keegan was acquired by Regions Financial, the 23rd largest banking holding company in the U.S.
This case study examines Morgan Keegan’s Private Client Group (which has 650 financial advisors and approximately US$20 billion in assets under management) and its strategic decision to move from a transaction-based broker-dealer organization to a more fee-based, advice-centric firm. Morgan Keegan concluded early on that a robust wealth management solution will play a vital part in that transformation process. The study looks at the entire vendor evaluation process undertaken by Morgan Keegan and how it came to decide on netDecide as its major third-party vendor for the entire project. The study also describes the actual implementation process and Morgan Keegan’s assessment of its on-going relationship with netDecide.